As a direct result of funding cuts to Afghanistan, most Afghans with disabilities stand to lose access to vital services during the next few months.
The Asia Foundation estimates (2019) that more than one in seven Afghans are living with some form of severe disability. Women and girls with disabilities face even greater barriers, further limiting their opportunities for inclusion and participation in society as guaranteed in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), ratified by Afghanistan in 2012.
Most Afghans with disabilities will soon lose access to critical services due to severe funding shortfalls. Access to rehabilitation services, needed by many persons with disabilities as well as others with limitations of function, is highly dependent on international actors. The main providers of physical rehabilitation services in Afghanistan are the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Humanity & Inclusion (HI), and the Norwegian Afghanistan Committee (NAC), who developed these services throughout Afghanistan together with the Solidarity Committee for Afghanistan.
The current aid funding crisis will drastically reduce access to life-changing and lifesaving assistance in several key areas: 1) Physical rehabilitation centres will be shut down, while the production and distribution of prosthetics, braces, wheelchairs, and other mobility and assistive devices hang in the balance; 2) Psychosocial support services for persons with disabilities and trauma survivors will be severely curtailed, leaving vulnerable populations without crucial support; and 3) Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) programmes, facilitating socio-economic inclusion and community participation, are at risk of a complete shutdown.
The vital importance of rehabilitation services in Afghanistan
Rehabilitation is a core component of effective healthcare. It restores functionality, helping individuals regain physical, mental, and social capabilities after illness, injury, or trauma. It reduces long-term costs by preventing complications and avoiding unnecessary hospital remissions, thereby easing the financial burden on both families and the healthcare system. Rehabilitation promotes inclusion, empowering people with disabilities to participate fully in society and contribute meaningfully to the workforce. It improves outcomes, enhancing recovery and quality of life, especially for those living with non-communicable diseases, trauma-related injuries, or chronic conditions.
To improve the quality and sustainability of rehabilitation services in the country, the Afghan Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), and its international development and humanitarian partners, must ensure that rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities and for all those in need, are – in future – fully integrated into Afghanistan’s public healthcare system at all levels, including in the Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) and the Essential Package of Hospital Services (EPHS).
Urgent Call for Action
The rights of persons with disabilities to equal opportunities, full participation in society, and their contribution to development processes, are enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD); we therefore appeal to Afghanistan to stand by its UN CRPD commitment. Furthermore, the World Health Assembly resolution on strengthening rehabilitation in health systems calls for rehabilitation to be integrated at all levels of care and commits international stakeholders to supporting these efforts.
As in most countries with fragile healthcare systems, rehabilitation services in Afghanistan are mainly provided by NGOs, who are now having their funding slashed. Rehabilitation services require professional expertise, specialised equipment, and decentralised facilities. Once closed, they will not be reopened in the foreseeable future.
We therefore urge all relevant Afghan authorities and the World Bank and other international donors to take immediate responsibility for providing funding support and protecting existing services for some of the most vulnerable groups in Afghanistan, in line with Articles 25 and 26 of the UN CRPD. This is in line with guiding humanitarian principles, including ‘Leave No One Behind’, which is the central, transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Afghan people must not be abandoned. The time for action is now, before future generations of Afghans with disabilities lose access to the services that ensure the realisation of their human rights, fundamental freedoms, and participation in society, without discrimination.
Kabul and Oslo, 25th September 2025
| Terje Magnussønn Watterdal
Country Director Norwegian Afghanistan Committee (NAC) |
Vincent Rouvier
Country Director Handicap International |
